


Not the Most Welcoming Awakening

by sanctum_c



Series: Aerith Month 2018 [10]
Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Meetings, Flower Girl!Tifa, Flowers, Gen, SOLDIER!Aerith - Freeform, Turks (Compilation of FFVII)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:14:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27620540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctum_c/pseuds/sanctum_c
Summary: Aeris falls from the Upper Plate and meets Tifa; the Last Cetra.
Series: Aerith Month 2018 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2009521
Kudos: 4





	Not the Most Welcoming Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> Additional entry for the prompt 'Alternate Universe' - inspired by a set of gifs posted by Tiiifa on tumblr that recast Tifa as the last Cetra.

Something nudged into Aeris's side. "Are you okay?" an overly loud voice asked. Aeris groaned in response, her back aching, her head pounding, the searing bright light hurting even with her eyes closed. Another moment to gather herself- The something - presumably the same something - was impatient and nudged into her side again. "Hey?" Aeris forced one eye open.

A girl was staring down at her, her long dark hair seeming somehow forever on the verge of spilling over her shoulders but never quite getting there. Red eyes was unusual. Her concerned expression melted into relief and the start of a grin. But the girl only made it to "Hi" before her whole posture changed, the relief evaporating from her face and her body tensing.

"Hi," Aeris replied in a hopefully friendly tone. Not clear what had gone wrong, but she would figure it out. Something to worry about when she hurt less. Aeris smiled. The girl did not smile back, her concern was gone and it seemed like it was not going to return any time soon. Perhaps she needed to sort this now. What had- Oh. Aeris sighed. This again.

She forced herself into a sitting position, her head swimming and almost too heavy for her neck to support. With a grunt she forced herself to look up, fighting the urge to see what that oddly green thing underneath her was. "Guess you're not wild about people like me?"

"You're pretty astute." The girl backed off, her gaze never leaving Aeris's. "And yes. I have issues with Shinra and SOLDIER at the best of times, to say nothing of the heart-attack you almost gave me. I don't know what kind of stunt you're pulling, but-" She broke off when Aeris hunched forward with a groan, clasped her head in both hands and closed her eyes.

A blessed moment of darkness, but the pain returned all too soon. Her questing fingers revealed nothing to indicate her skull was in more than one piece. "Look, I know you're injured, and I'm- I'm glad you're not dead. But please leave. Now."

Deep breath. "Would it help if I told you I was fighting Shinra?" Aeris raised her head and leant back on her hands. The girl stared down, haloed by the streaming sunlight. So bright in here; a quirk of the plate alignments allowed actual sun to flood the interior of- Wait. What was this place? Pews or something like them in two ordered columns. The windows seemed formed of stained glass. So- She almost regretted turning her head, but before the pain got too much- There. An altar. This was a church. A church? Aeris blinked. Odd.

"A SOLDIER fighting against Shinra?" The girl snorted and folded her arms. "That's a new one."

Aeris opened her mouth- And froze. There was a lot of green beneath her. More than simply green; it was a mass of plants and- flowers. Flowers! Any kind of plant growing within the city limits was supposedly impossible. But here there were plants that were not simply growing, but actively thriving alongside the flowers. Flowers rang a distant bell.

There was a rumor about flowers in the city. Sometimes little more than an off-hand comment made every now and again; something no one really gave much attention and yet the rumor somehow persisted no matter how much time passed. The story went - in its most basic form - that there was someone below plate who sold flowers.

All kinds of different ones, but somehow fresher and longer-lasting than the limp half-dead things the Upper Plate shops could muster up. Better still than the flowers the Shinra execs imported from elsewhere for the price equivalent of a first-born child. This girl; was she the source of the rumors?

Her distraction had lasted too long. "You okay?" the girl asked, frowning at her.

Aeris blinked. The flowers were interesting but that was something for later. Perhaps they would work well for public perception. Distracted again. "Heard of Avalanche?"

"I might have." The girl was still tense. "Though to be fair, not many in the slums who don't know about them."

"Well, I signed up." Aeris smiled. The girl shot her another quizzical look; this was hard work and her head was throbbing and a bath would be wonderful and- "I know how it sounds. It's like some absurd double-bluff isn't it? Send a SOLDIER to infiltrate an anti-Shinra group and not even try to hide what she is."

"You wouldn't be able to hide those for long-" The girl gestured towards her. Her eyes; never subtle.

Aeris gestured to her face. "Don't be so sure. Contact lenses are a thing." No response. She sighed. "Okay, I don't know if I can convince you I'm not with Shinra anymore but- I can tell you in no uncertain terms that I know Avalanche are absolutely right. Even Shinra knows they're right, though they'd never admit it. They're not about to stop what they're doing; that's something for the next generation to figure out. Or maybe the one after that." Aeris fidgeted and dragged her legs under her. Everything hurt; normal training routines for SOLDIER were bad enough, but this was something else. Could she stand? Aeris wobbled as she got to her feet.

A glance up when she straightened told more of the story of how she wound up lying in a church. A conspicuous hole in the pointed roof above her on a direct line with the warped and broken remains of the connecting bridge outside the still burning Mako Reactor 5. Aeris might be more or less fine, but what of her companions?

If Barret and Jessie had been able to get clear things should be okay. Would Avalanche be looking for her? Unlikely; if they had been they should be here by now (assuming they thought she was still alive). It was not like she would be hard to find given the circumstances they last saw her in. She needed to get back and find out. Regardless of whether the others had not made it or were waiting for her; Avalanche needed to deal with President Shinra's mysterious appearance last night.

"So you're claiming you defected?" The girl had backed up again when Aeris stood; her fists now clenched at her sides.

"I really did. First ever ex-SOLDIER. Hiding's a bit of a pain, but you can do it." She conspiratorially leant a little closer. "The contact lens thing works for the most part. Gotta stay in the light though," she stage-whispered. The girl fought back a grin; she seemed to no longer consider Aeris quite so much of a threat. "Taking a risk admitting this to you too - there is a bounty on me."

"You're lucky I would never deal with Shinra or take their money then." The girl narrowed her eyes.

"Very lucky. Glad you have your principles," Aeris said. She gestured to the flower bed. "And this of course. Not convinced I could have survived that fall otherwise. Didn't think anyone could grow flowers here." The girl said nothing, any hints she was opening up gone again. Aeris sighed. "You don't have to say anything. I'll be on my way; I need to get back to the others. That's two reactors we've taken down though now. Third should be soon. I'd offer to leave this sector alone, but-" She pointed upwards. "Sorry."

The girl sighed. "You really are with Avalanche?" Aeris nodded. "At least someone's fighting back."

Aeris grinned. "Given your animosity, I'm surprised you never tried to join."

"Too risky for me when-" The girl snapped her mouth shut. She hurried past Aeris and crouched beside the flower bed, tending to the broken stalks and crumpled flowers. Aeris's head swam and she staggered to the nearest pew. The girl looked around as the wood creaked beneath Aeris. "You're not going to ask about the flowers?"

"Not unless you want to tell me," Aeris murmured, leaning back against the pew. "I'm curious of course, but I am a stranger and-"

"I can grow flowers. I never knew I could until I came here." The girl interrupted. Aeris looked up; the girl's attention was back on the flowers, hunched over as she focused on the ground in front of her

Aeris leant forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Somewhat ironic given no one else can do it here." She licked her lips. "You said you came here. How long have you been in Midgar?"

"Five years."

"Interesting." Aeris fiddled with her collar. "Never heard of anything like this. Because of SOLDIER I ended up involved in a lot of weird science-" A void of unpleasant former actions best not recounted or revisited. She cleared her throat. "Plants tend to wither here. Though-" The girl still had her back to Aeris. How could she grow flowers? "Where did you live before?" That tidbit might offer a clue though was unlikely to fully explain the girl's ability.

The girl glanced over her shoulder; her mouth opened- The screech of rusted hinges split the air. The girl leapt to her feet and tensed. Aeris hauled herself up again, limbs aching and joints cracking. The pain and dizziness were at least fading; SOLDIER regeneration assisting in that regard. An unfortunately familiar figure with blond hair and a dark blue suit stood in the church doorway. Aeris groaned. "Not you Elena."

"Gast." Elena scowled at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same-" Aeris sighed. "Wait. If you're not here for me. Then-" She glanced at the girl who stared at Elena, tensed and ready.

"Gast?" the girl asked quietly; Elena muttered something into a radio.

"Aeris."

"Aeris then." A quick glance to her. "You can fight, right?" Aeris nodded. "Could you maybe help get me out of here?"

The girl clenched her fists again and she shifted into a combat stance. The girl versus a Turk? No contest on whose side she was taking. "I could."

"Good. And I can pay you if you need it," the girl shot back. "I'm not helpless, but you seem to at least know that Turk so-"

"I am unfortunately well acquainted with their ways," Aeris interrupted and smiled. "I think I can help you out." An impulse, a stupid notion, but she said it before she could stop herself. "Cost will be one date." Aeris winked. What was she thinking? But the girl took her words in her stride. While that was definitely a roll of her eyes, it came both a nod and a hint of a smile. Interesting. "It's a deal." Aeris took a deep breath, moved to approach Elena and stopped. "Okay. I'm sorry, one more thing. I, er, don't even know your name?"

"It's Tifa," the girl said.

"Tifa," Aeris echoed. "Let's get you someplace safer."


End file.
